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Hi guys,
Just thinking about a slogan for the Tesla brand, kind of like how Chevy has "Chevy Runs Deep" and Ford has "Built Ford tough", etc.

I came up with "All American, All Electric, All the Time...Tesla"

If this is too wordy I thought you could shorten it to just "All Electric, All the Time" if it's more catchy but I put the "All American" in there because of the trend to buy domestic. It could be left off all non-US marketing if needs be.

I thought about how Tesla needs to differentiate itself from other car companies before they eventually jump on the bandwagon and start making more fully electric cars as well.
I can see a lot of people saying "Yeah the Tesla is nice but they are new and a small company so I'll wait until BMW makes one"

To avoid this Tesla needs to establish itself firmly in the public's mind as the ONLY car company that specializes 100% in fully electric cars. This is the ONE thing that the other big auto companies will never have over Tesla until they convert to making ONLY electric cars, something that isn't going to happen anytime soon.

I thought of a commercial for Tesla that would go a little like this:

"Many car companies are trying to do the electric car only halfway. By mixing a small gasoline engine with an electric motor (pictures of the Volt and the Prius could be flashed on screen) you get a compromised and complex vehicle (pictures of a Volt drivetrain, complicated algorithms scrolling across the screen, etc). This complexity lowers the performance of both engine and motor, increases the cost of the vehicle and increases the chances of a malfunction, and ultimately forces you to continue to buy gasoline because the electric range is insufficient (picture of a Prius pulling into a gas station with EV range at 0). As a result you are left with a vehicle that's not a very good gas car and not a very good electric car either.

Some car companies have attempted to build a few thousand fully electric cars (picture of a Nissan Leaf and Renault Twizy) but they do so without focus and passion, as they continue to simulatiously produce millions of gasoline powered cars. As such their electric cars also lack a clear sense of focus and passion, often being more expensive while offering LESS performance when compared to similar gas powered cars in their class (show image of Ford Focus EV and regular Ford Focus side by side with price comparison in foreground).

Here at Tesla we don't compromise, we are the ONLY car company in the world that is focused 100% on providing you with the most advanced fully electric car possible. We are ALL ELECTRIC, ALL THE TIME.

Thanks to our revolutionary electric vehicle architecture, we are bringing you vehicles that perform BETTER and cost LESS to own when compared with similarly performing gas powered cars (show Tesla rocketing past a BMW M5 and quick price comparison).

Our cars are the safest in the world (flash 1st car EVER to receive five stars in EVERY category across the screen). Thanks to our flat floor battery pack and motor mounted between the rear wheels (show image of this layout) our vehicles offer the largest crumple zones in the industry (show simulation of car crushing without effecting the passengers), not to mention the best handling, lowest rollover risk, and most cargo space in their class.
Our electric all wheel drive system sends power at the speed of light to the wheels allowing for traction when you need it most (show Tesla manuvering out of a dangerous situation). We at Tesla believe that if you can avoid a crash better you hopefully won't even need our superior crash protection.
These are all advantages that come as a direct result of NOT having a regular gasoline engine, gas tank, gearbox, and exhaust system taking up precious design space.

The environmental benefits are also clear (show Tesla charging in a house with solar panels) and will only get better as our grid becomes cleaner (show graph of average grid mix % with coal use declining and renewable energy growing).
Right now 70% of our oil is used to make fuel for the transportation industry. Oil that once we burn is gone forever, polluting the air we breathe in our congested cities and contributing significantly to respitory illnesses and thus our nation's health care costs (show lines of gas cars and smog on a hot jam packed L.A. freeway at rush-hour and people breathing in that thick exhaust on sidewalks of inner cities).

In contrast the world only uses oil for 5% of our electricity needs. Electricity that is produced domestically, providing domestic jobs (show picture of SolarCity employee or wind farm technician) NOT sending billions of dollars overseas for oil that we don't need, creating oil disasters that we don't want (show images of Gulf Oil spill, Exxon Valdex, etc).

To set the record straight our vehicles at Tesla, including our batteries, are non-toxic and fully recyclable, so that its materials can be used again, and don't deprive future generations from their re-use.

For all these reasons we know that the combustion engine simply cannot compete any longer...which is why we at Tesla have never considered it as an option in ANY of our vehicles. It's days are numbered.
At our state of the art facility in California we are bringing cutting edge vehicle engineering and high tech manufacturing back to America, where it belongs.

We are Tesla. ALL American, ALL electric, All the time."

Fade to black with TESLA logo center screen.

Obviously this is way too long and wordy but it could be shrunk down to get the main points across. I don't think Tesla needs to start conventional marketing/advertising just yet but sometime towards the fall/end of 2013 it should start thinking about it with ads like this...hopefully also showing images of its Gen III car to wet the appetite of the masses looking for a more affordable Tesla.

Anybody else have any slogans or catch phrases you think Tesla could use in terms of marketing?

Cheers

teddyg | December 27, 2012

To add after the third paragraph in the commerical above:

"Because we are fully dedicated to the electric car our vehicles currently offer 2 to 3 times the range of other electric vehicles, and with our network of solar powered supercharging stations (image of supercharger) you can travel long distance, powered by pure sunlight, for the life of your Tesla, for FREE. A promise that big oil just can't match."

teddyg | January 1, 2013

Haha ok well I guess my slogan was a flop!
Anybody have any better ideas?
Still think Tesla should market itself as the ONLY company focused entirely on fully electric cars. This is something the big brands cannot claim.
Tesla needs to get people thinking that if they are going to buy electric they have to buy a Tesla because electric cars are all they do!
How about:
Thinking electric? Think Tesla.

Brian H | January 1, 2013

Maybe calculate the weight of the electrons in 85kW, and say, "Fill up on 0.000001 oz!"

steveghd | January 3, 2013

Well it's far from All American since the power source are Panasonic batteries. Not that they're not the best...they're just made in Japan. Not to mention all the Mercedes parts on the steering wheel.

jambo | January 3, 2013

I like: "Designed by Tesla in California, Built in the USA".

Brian H | January 3, 2013

That's OK selling in the US, but somewhat "local".

"America's World-Electric Cars, by Tesla"

jk2014 | January 3, 2013

I think in the long run, it's best not even mention they are electric at all. Electric will be how a majority of cars down the line, so not Tesla's strategic selling point or brand. This is the best experience on the road. Where memory and imagination find an escape. It makes driving fun again. Period. Must always reflect that in any future marketing.

FLsportscarenth... | January 4, 2013

American muscle is back, only cleaner and cheaper to run...

Well still can not understand why Tesla and Panasonic can not partner to produce batteries in North America, would save on shipping costs and tariffs and significantly help sales in Canada...

Domestic marketing should include the american made theme.

Brian H | January 4, 2013

Remember, FL, the US is expected to be just 1/3 of the ultimate market for TM. Europe = Asia = North America. It's very early days, yet!

FLsportscarenth... | January 4, 2013

Well if an assembly facility is set up Asia it could use Japanese batteries, I am not saying do not use Panasonic, just that Panasonic should make its batteries in North America. In another thread Canadian reservation holders report that Ottawa does not consider Tesla as a 'north american' car and slaps a tariff on them - due to the Japanese batteries mostly. Panasonic would save money by making them here due to lower labour cost and elimination of tariff and shipping costs and NAFTA is a big enough market to make it worthwhile for Panasonic.

Obviously you do not use the american made theme outside the US...

teddyg | January 5, 2013

Great point Jk2014...definately need to add a point about "making driving fun again"...very important point.
My point was that I see a problem coming for Tesla when other brands start producing EV's similar to what Tesla has.
I.e say BMW starts making an electric X5 with better performance and a lower price than the Model X? Most people unfortunately are slaves to the big brand names and may be more comfortable buying from a company with a long history and reputation.
This is where I thought the "ALL electric, ALL the time" slogan would be fitting as it clearly shows Tesla's 100% focus on providing the best EV for it's customers...it's not just dabbling in EV's while continuing to make 90% petrol powered cars (which is what all the other big auto firms will be doing for quite some time).

Agree that Panasonic should eventually build a factory in the USA, hell if Tesla plan on making 100,000 cars per year it will mean buying BILLIONS of cells from Panasonic so a dedicated factory across the road from Tesla might make a lot of sense...however it would probably entail Tesla signing a long term supply agreement with Panasonic which they may not want to do, if they want to keep their options open in terms of battery suppliers.

Mel. | January 5, 2013

Teddy, BMW has no interest in electric. Let us know when we can buy one

Brian H | January 6, 2013

Don't underestimate the majors' reluctance to go "all in" on electric. So far, there is no indication they think they can or should do it. Even Toyota, TM's co-owner and partner, thinks it would be better to focus on hybrids, and hydrogen in the long run. I suspect that TM's technological lead is more than they think they can make up at reasonable cost.

teddyg | January 6, 2013

That may be the case right now Mel but you can bet the majors won't wait long if they see Tesla starting to make a profit.
I figure Tesla has a 2-3 year jump on everyone else...what they do with that lead is what will make or break them.

TV | January 7, 2013

Well, if the other guys can do it, WHERE IS IT?
I haven't seen ANYTHING CLOSE to the Model S. And I really don't want to see someone else do this. Tesla all the way1

Mel. | January 7, 2013

Teddy, I think Elon and tha rest of us, would love to see Ev's embraced by the industry.. However, it looks to be just the opposite.

States are now taxing electric vehicles, some people think this is fair.. They like the idea of taxing electric and subsidizing gasoline , and ethanol. Look at Washington and Oregon, they want to tax electric, when they should be raising the gas tax.

Dealers are bringing Tesla to court and harassing town officials that vote to allow Tesla to open a small store. Look at how Arizona is giving grief to Tesla and their delivery specialists.

David70 | January 7, 2013

The road tax on EVs is a pittance compared to the lack of sales tax on EVs in Washington state.

jk2014 | January 7, 2013

Mel -- Read Telsa's "risks" in their Q3 report (all reports actually). They've anticipated these obstacles (specifically the dealer law suits) in designing their business strategy. All the state taxation debate is just debate. No law has been proposed or passed. I think if this rises to the level of consciousness within the public of those states, taxation will lose momentum and fade.

The proof of support is in the number of reservations for Tesla vehicles and institutional investors with a stake in Tesla as a company. It is quite substantial. More reservations than nearly all Volts and Leafs sold in total in the US and the car just started real production a couple months ago. BIg three have already taken notice in a big way...

keithz | January 7, 2013

Great slogan. Cheesy commercial.

teddyg | January 7, 2013

Thanks Keith, glad somebody likes the slogan...yeah I did put a bit of cheese in there, its also wayyy too long...someone who actually writes commercials for a living could clean that up though. That was my first attempt.

Mel I only said the auto industry will embrace the EV if they can see Tesla making a profit, and I am sure they are making plans already and watching Tesla VERY closely on that front.

If they do start to turn a profit I figure Tesla has 2-3 years headstart, less if the majors really pour in resources to make it happen fast.
You can bet BMW and others will start rolling out commercials of their "coming soon" electric cars and this could be a problem for Tesla because a lot of people might choose to wait 2-3 years for a BMW EV rather than taking a shot on little known Tesla.

This is why I think it is important for Tesla to differentiate itself, sooner rather than later, as the only company focused 100% on electric. The majors won't be able to say that for a very long time.

Mel. | January 7, 2013

Teddy, I hope you are right. We would all love to see the end of ICE, and watch Ev's take over the world.

FLsportscarenth... | January 8, 2013

ICE cars like large scale oil usage will not go away for a long time but EV's and PHEV's will likely make up the majority of new cars sold in ~20 years... in my estimation. In a 100 years a classic ICE car might seem like a steam locomotive today.

Edison's electric lighting displaced natural gas lamps pretty quickly do to safety and cleanliness, but natural gas is still used 100 years later for producing electricity and home heating.

A better world is coming... More EVs, more utility scale wind power, more small scale solar. Elon made a lot of that possible quicker...

Brian H | January 8, 2013

The world can't afford California electric rates, which are what happens (even to Germany, e.g.) when renewables are relied on. Natural (frac) gas is doing more to cheapen and clean up power generation than anything else, and its advantage is likely to last a few centuries.

FLsportscarenth... | January 9, 2013

Wind has a lower cost per kwh than Coal or Nuclear plus it extracts kinetic energy out of the atmosphere dampening slightly global warming trends so politically it is something every one can support: Right - 100% domestic fuel source, lessens our dependence on foreign oil, cheaper and safer than the alternatives; Left - clean and lessens global warming. Only the uncaring selfish NIMBYs do not like wind...

Solar is likable by both sides but the economics do not support utility scale projects yet except maybe in high cost electricity markets like Hawaii and other tropical islands... For small scale and specialized solar works and is great for emergency backup and home power projects. I foresee solar will become more economically viable in the future, first it will replace more polluting 'peaker' plants.

Natural Gas is cheap and less polluting but wind and solar is better long term... NG could replace diesel in powering large trucks as BEVs larger than delivery trucks do not seem to be effective.

California pays too much not because of renewables but because it does not generate enough, it is forced to imports a lot of power from out of state. Germany imports a lot of NG from Russia.

You don't need to be a Bastiat scholar to detect the "unseen" costs in wind. They are many.
*Coping with variability. Unpredictability of supply is EXPENSIVE for a grid (and economy).
--Not least of these variabity expenses is preference rules requiring conventional plants to wind down to accommodate surges and temporary surpluses. That torpedoes their economic viability, and forces them to run at inefficient loads. Even the best plants can be rendered unprofitable.
*Capital costs are very high ... hiding them with subsidies only works briefly. The Invisible Hand assures that all costs WILL be paid, willy nilly.
*Lifespan is speculative and egregiously exaggerated. Obsolescence is rampant.
*Maintenance is so high (despite hand-waving assurances) that it is usually not done, and disabled windmills are just abandoned or left to free-wheel -- often without brakes, so they fly apart.
*Indirect costs in real estate devaluation are immense. Nearby residential properties become unsaleable at any price. Compensation offered is minimal.
*Maintenance of offshore windmills has actually only been achieved in Powerpoint. Even onshore it is possible only for a few technicians; operating at great height without support or proper tools is a rare talent.
*Subsonics cause health effects which are disabling. Some of the frequencies are actually in the ranges used as military weapons. Even simple sleep disruption is no joke; try it for a few days or weeks and see.
*Grid switching breaks down when renewables reach between 10-20% of total supply. Power phase matching and load balancing become virtually impossible, and more expensive than the power is worth.
*Tourism is devastated in some of the most scenic areas on the planet, which is preferentially where windmills get the best wind.
*Persistent windless highs, with extreme hot or cold temperatures, render them useless, at the very time most needed. The UK in particular gets weeks-long winter highs, and exposure and fuel poverty deaths are accelerating.

It goes on. I haven't even mentioned the acknowledged multiplying of "temporary" (decades-long) surcharges driving pensioners to choose between heat and food, and driving industry abroad. Or the HUGE materials requirements (steel, concrete, copper, rare earths) each multi-hundred-ton rig requires. Or the massive transmission corridors that need to be run from boondocks to cities. Or the exemptions from conservation laws protecting raptors. Etc.

Wind is a small niche tech bloated WAY beyond its scalable useful range. We will deeply repent its folly, at prolonged leisure.

keithz | January 10, 2013

I have a better slogan: Electrifying.

Epley | January 10, 2013

TESLA: DRIVE SMILE RECHARGE

I also like TESLA: GET AMPED or AMP IT UP as it refers to both the charging and the driving.